History Main / MaritalRapeLicense

** Paul states, "The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife." in 1 Corinthians 7:4, implying that marital relationships are to be consensual. Some interpret this as [[Administrivia/TheSameButMore this trope but more]] -- both spouses have the license, should they want to invoke it. Similarly, a passage used to justify marital rape is in Ephesians 5:22: "Wives, submit to your husbands." However, there's also the flip side in verse 25: "Husbands, love your wives as Christ so loved the church." (A love which went as far as accepting torture and death for the sake of the other.) The entire passage (v.22-33) goes into both statements in more detail.

* In ''Film/WhatsLoveGotToDoWithIt1993'', Ike Turner beats and rapes his wife Music/{{Tina|Turner}} in their home recording studio because he's dissatisfied with the way she was singing "Nutbush City Limits". Shortly after this, Tina, having had enough of Ike's years of abuse, reaches the DespairEventHorizon and attempts SuicideByPills. It should be noted that there's no evidence suggesting that the real Ike ever raped Tina. Tina did mention in her autobiography that Ike would sometimes have sex with her after he hit her, but she never actually accused him of rape. Tina did, however, actually attempt suicide in real life, but it happened years before when it was depicted in the film and for different reasons.

* ''Film/TheDuchess'' where Georgiana Cavendish is raped by her husband, the Duke of Devonshire, for having an affair and daring to call him out on his own mistress. This results in pregnancy, and the son he's always wanted...
* ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'' features a scene of Rhett Butler complaining that he doesn't get sex from his wife Scarlett followed by him roughly picking her up and running up to the bedroom with her while she attempts to fight him off. The next morning she has a big smile on her face, singing the suitably Victorian lyric "She wept with delight when he gave her a smile / And trembled with fear at a frown."

* In ''Film/{{Marnie}}'', Creator/SeanConnery's character blackmails Marnie into marrying him and then commits this trope on their honeymoon cruise, despite initially appearing to respect her wishes.
* The movie ''Film/{{Osama}}'' ends with the main character, a female child, getting married off to a man old enough to be her grandfather or even her grandfather's father. The scene right before the last scene is on the wedding day, focusing on how terrified the girl is and how much the other wives hate their husbands. The very last scene is at night, showing the old man happy and content, performing the holy cleansing ritual that he had earlier in the movie taught a class of young boys that every good man is supposed to do after he has bedded his wife.

* {{Played for|Laughs}} BlackComedy in ''Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves'' when the Sheriff insists on a [[SkipToTheEnd hasty]] yet "proper" marriage with Marian while attempting to have his way with her, before Robin Hood interrupts.

In some old patriarchal systems, a woman belonged first to her father (or closest living male relative if the father was dead) and then to her husband. The same logic was applied long after women were no longer literally considered property — the offense of rape, for example, was considered less an injury to the woman and more an injury to the man she "belonged" to. Once she married — and [[ArrangedMarriage in some systems]] she could be married without her consent to any man, even if it were someone she despised or had never met — her husband was understood to have an unconditional, legal, and "moral" right to her body. It gets even creepier when the bride is [[OldManMarryingAChild underage]].

* In ''Literature/DragonBones'' this is accepted as normal, with Ward recalling that when his mother was drugged, his father didn't rape her quite so often. (He says "come to her bed" but it's pretty clear that those visits were not wanted). None of the heroes think it's ''right'' to do that, (Ward's father is universally acknowledged to have been a jerk and abuser) but they don't consider making a law against it, either, this being a patriarchal, medieval fantasy setting, and [[StatusQuoIsGod it would be anachronistic]]. The good guys just don't ''use'' the marital rape license.

* This happens to Beatrice, the poor female protagonist of Simona Ahrnstedt's Literature/{{Overenskommelser}}. After being pressured into marrying the heinous villain Rosenschiöld, who's like forty years older than her and treats women like dirt, she suddenly panics on the wedding night and says no. But not only does he rape her, he even has the nerve to go into a rage after finding out that she wasn't a virgin. Let's just say that nobody missed him after he died in a couple of days...
* In the novel Literature/MySweetAudrina by Creator/VCAndrews, the main character is resistant to her husband. The next morning after he ''rapes her unconscious'' he says she enjoyed it after a while. While the character, ([[spoiler:who was gang-raped as a child and brainwashed to forget about it]]), doesn't enjoy it, she stays because she's been in love with the man since she was a child. It gets worse from there.

* ''Wonder Woman: Amazonia'': Steve Trevor being [[AdaptationalJerkass a much harsher character than his standard incarnation]] includes believing that his marriage to Diana entitles him to sleep with her whenever he wants to with no regard to her consent.

* Discussed and averted in ''FanFic/{{Strings}}'', Korra worries that after being kidnapped and forcibly married to Tarrlok that he would do this to her. Despite his {{Jerkass}} nature and his DomesticAbuse, Tarrlok never does this and only has sex with Korra when ''she'' initiates it after he made his HeelRealization and made amends with her.

** Subverted with Tyrion, who declines to do this with his [[ArrangedMarriage reluctant wife]] [[spoiler: Sansa]]. It's expected of him to bed and impregnate his new wife whether she wants to or not (or, to be more specific, whether either of them wants to or not). Although clearly attracted to her, Tyrion outright refuses and says he won't touch her until she wants it, in part because she's so young.

* In the novel Literature/MySweetAudrina by Creator/VCAndrews, the main character is resistant to her husband. The next morning after he ''rapes her unconscious'' he says she enjoyed it after a while. While the character, ([[spoiler: who was gang-raped as a child and brainwashed to forget about it]]), doesn't enjoy it, she stays because she's been in love with the man since she was a child. It gets worse from there.

* In ''Literature/{{Changes}}'', after [[spoiler: Harry]] agrees to become Mab's knight consort, the first thing she does is have sex with him. [[spoiler: Harry]] bears with it because he needs Mab's help [[spoiler: to save his daughter's life]], but his consent is clearly coerced.

** Later {{averted}} with [[spoiler: Sansa]] and Tyrion in "Second Sons". [[spoiler: Sansa]] fully expects to have to consummate her marriage with Tyrion even though she REALLY doesn't want to, but Tyrion promises he won't share her bed until she wants him to, even if that never happens (it doesn't before they've been separated).
** Played fully straight between [[spoiler: Ramsay Bolton]] and [[spoiler: Sansa Stark]] when he brutally rapes her on their wedding night in "Unbent, Unbowed and Unbroken". As shown in "The Gift" one episode later, he doesn't stop this, keeping her as a GirlInTheTower and aggressively and forcefully raping her every night to the point that she has bruising all along her arms (and probably also in many places we can't see).

* Even more creepy than usual in ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. Ra's Al Ghul forces his daughter Nyssa to marry his chosen heir [[spoiler: Oliver]]. When Nyssa objects to bearing a child, Ra's dismisses her complaints by stating that she will do as ordered and she will have no more say in the matter than her mother had (implying she may be a {{child by rape}} herself). This is par for the course for Ra's in his comic book incarnation as well. Talia is definitely attracted to [[{{Franchise/Batman}} The Detective]], but Ra's attitude towards this is mainly "how nice for you; that will make your task easier."

* Almost happens on ''Series/IntoTheBadlands'' between [[spoiler: Quinn and Veil]]. Earlier in the episode, [[spoiler: Quinn decides to make Henry, Veil's infant son by Sunny, his legal heir [[AndNowYouMustMarryMe by making her his second wife]]. Of course, it's very clear that he's also using the marriage to gain the extra perk of having sexual access to Veil [[VillainousCrush since he has always had a weird infatuation with her since season one]]. [[ForcedMarriage After the marriage]] and Quinn takes Veil to their bedchamber, he more or less presumes to assault her while Veil hesitantly tries to slit his throat before he can consummate the marriage. The only thing that stops the act is when Lydia, Quinn's first wife, barges in with news that [[RoaringRampageOfRescue Sunny is alive and is coming to kill Quinn]].]]
* On ''Series/GoodGirls'' [[HateSink Boomer]] forces himself on his fiancée Mary Pat, although even their engagement is only a result of his blackmailing her. [[spoiler: It's implied this is the last straw driving her to kill him.]]

* In the 1993 movie ''Film/WhatsLoveGotToDoWithIt1993'', Ike Turner beats and rapes his wife Music/{{Tina|Turner}} in a recording booth because he's dissatisfied with her singing. Shortly after this, Tina reaches the DespairEventHorizon and attempts suicide. It should be noted that there's no evidence suggesting that the real Ike ever actually raped Tina in real life. Tina did mention in her autobiography that she and Ike would sometimes have sex after he hit her, which was likely misinterpreted as rape by the filmmakers.

* In the 1993 movie ''Film/WhatsLoveGotToDoWithIt1993'', Ike Turner beats and rapes his wife Music/{{Tina|Turner}} in a recording booth because he's dissatisfied with her singing. Shortly after this, Tina reaches the DespairEventHorizon and attempts suicide. It should be noted that the real Ike never actually raped Tina in real life. Tina did mention in her autobiography that she and Ike would sometimes have sex after he hit her, which was likely misinterpreted as rape by the filmmakers.

* In the 1993 movie ''Film/WhatsLoveGotToDoWithIt1993'', Ike Turner beats and rapes his wife Music/{{Tina|Turner}} in a recording booth because he's dissatisfied with her singing. Shortly after this, Tina reaches the DespairEventHorizon and attempts suicide. It should be noted that the real Ike never actually raped Tina in real life.